Resonance of Fate
by Interstella
Summary: What if during Project S, Vincent rescues Lucrecia and Sephiroth? What if they manage to escape with their child? This is a story that explores the possibility of Sephiroth spending his formative years with his parents. No pairings yet . T for violence.
1. Of Experiments and Family

**Hello!**

**Welcome to my fic, Resonance of Fate.**

**Just to let you know, this is my first story that has been COMPLETELY planned out. And I do mean completely. I have a full timleine that's four pages long...in bullet points! The idea for this came from a random conversation that x-Trisana-Skystorm-x and I had on our way into town. We were talking about 'what ifs'. The plot bunny then sat in my head and randomly thumped me in my head until I wrote it down. Then I read an amazing fanfic. Seriously, it's good. "The Fifth Act" by Sinnatious. Absolutely bloody fantastic. Hands down the best fic I've read in a long time, if not ever. I highly recommend you read it.  
Anyway, I read that then, I sent a message to Sinnatious, asking for a hand in planning. I have to say, at least half of my plot came from Sin. **

**Thanks to x-Trisana-Skystorm-x for the title.**

So this chapter is dedicated to Sinnatious.

**Every Chapter or two, I will give a recommendations for good fanfics. If you want to nominate someone, then please tell me in a review and have it on your favourites so that I can easily find it. **

**My recommendations will be written at the end of the story.**

**Okay, so sorry for the long AN. **

**~Interstella**

Word Count: 6522

Warnings: A serious beginning, with a fluffy end to the chapter. Creepy Hojo.

Disclaimer: Unless I'm truly mistaken, I don't own final fantasy. If I did, I might have paid more notice to physics... Specifically gravity...

**Resonance of Fate**

**~ Chapter 1 - εуλ 1977 ~**

**~ Of Experiments and Family ~**

The year was εуλ 1977; a year of new beginnings, a year of new hopes. And a year of love.

Scarcely could he believe that it had been but a few months since they had first met. At the start, she had been shy, keeping her distance and avoiding being alone with him, though it was inevitable really, that they would draw closer to each other, and eventually they become friends. It was surprising really how quickly their budding friendship evolved into something more - a little unbelievable really, yet for the first time in a long time, Vincent Valentine had found himself to be a happy man.

At first, being assigned to babysit a few scientists, had sounded like a very uninteresting job to say the least, but the moment he had lay eyes on her, his interest was piqued his interest. It was strange to think, that the twenty-seven year old Turk was feeling that elation that one would equate to a teenager falling in love for the first time – every time she gave him her shy smile, his heart would flutter, every second they were apart, he craved her company, thoughts of her constantly circled his head, and only dissipated when she was with him. It didn't take long for Vincent to realize that he was head over heals in love and would do anything for this woman.

Which made this situation all that more difficult.

"I'm sorry." The tears were brimming on the edge of her chocolate brown eyes, not quite ready to spill onto her flushed cheeks. She was slowly backing away from him, her arm around her stomach as if to hold back a growing nausea. Her fingers toyed with the fabric of her shirt, a nervous habit that she had long since developed. Her other hand was splayed out beside her, flailing slightly as if looking for something steady to ground her. Knees slightly bent, she looked as if she was trying to decide weather to collapse or run away.

Confused, Vincent frowned, his heart racing as he reached out to her, hand grasping only air as she backed away slowly, guilt shining in those glistening eyes. "Lu-?" Seeing his outstretched hand, she shook her head, raising her own hands defensively, as if insisting he stayed back.

"I'm sorry Vincent." Her voice shook, heavy with the building emotion, panic obviously rising in her chest. She reached the wall behind her, her hand bracing her against it as she slid down it, the tears finally falling over the edges of her eyelids. "It was my fault. It should've been me, not him." Her breathing became haggard, as she gasped for the air her lungs so sorely craved.

This only served to confuse the young Turk further. Lowering his arm, Vincent paused realizing that it would serve no purpose to pursue her when she was obviously terrified of something. "Lucrecia, what are you talking about?" Keeping his tone as calm as possible, and his voice low, he utilized his training to attempt to comfort the panic stricken woman as best his could without physical contact.

"Grimoire." The one word served to bring back unbidden memories for the man. His father. He remembered hearing from his mother that his father had worked with a young female scientist in the months before the accident that had taken his father's life.

"It was my fault he died!" sobs now wrecked her body as she doubled up on herself, as if her guilt truly was eating her up from the inside.

"So it was you... The young woman scientist that he was working with?" He asked, his frown deepening in thought. "My father died to save you..." His words drifted off as things began to click into place. Her reluctance to let him work with them, her prevailing shyness. It was all beginning to make sense to him. But... Why had she not brought this up sooner? Could it be that she had been burying the guilt this whole time? Or had she simply not had the courage to say something?

Still standing there awkwardly, not quite sure what else to do, Vincent thought quickly. Obviously her telling him this now meant that she couldn't deal with hiding her thoughts any more. To Vincent this implied that she truly cared for him, and that she honestly believed that it was her fault that Grimoire had died. But that was just his way. If Grimoire cared for you, you could guarantee that you would be protected.

"You're not to blame." finally, he decided on what to say. Sure, he could hold on to the blame that she so readily gave in to, but to what purpose? Truly she could not be liable for the other man's actions. Just as he could not be liable for hers. This was one of the first things you learned when you became a Turk. People do what their nature tells them to – regardless of outside influence. In the end, if they are truly inclined to an action, it will happen.

So Grimoire was depositioned to protect the people he cared about. Whether it be Lucrecia or anybody else, it didn't matter.

Slowly he approached her and dropped to one knee beside her. Gently, he gathered her into his arms, holding her close in a way that was reserved for her, and only her. "He did what he had to. Protected somebody dear to him. I would do the same without hesitation."

Generally, he wasn't the type to comfort people. If people wanted to cry, let them. If they honestly thought they had something to gain by the action, fine. But normally, he just found the whole exercise pointless. But with Lucrecia, as she broke down, he could feel his own heart breaking, as if he was the one shedding the tears, not her. Holding the sobbing woman close, he gently stroked her hair, comforting her the best he knew how.

And that was when she said it, between her sobs and shuddering breath, the words were spoken.

"I love you."

By no means was this the first time the man had heard them. Having his looks, he was bound to attract women, but usually, when those words were spoken, it was the signal that the relationship had gone on too long and needed to be cut off as soon as possible. The three small words would generally leave the man feeling a small amount of regret and sadness.

But this time, it was different. Hearing those words from _her_... His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat, and for the first time that he could even recall, he was truly stuck for words. She had said it. She had meant it. And he found that he couldn't return them, he tried, but the words got caught in his throat, letting out only a small croaking sound, a mixture of surprise and nerves.

Vincent just held her closer and when she kissed him, he returned it with equal passion, putting the words he could not say into the action. Gently he held her close, his hand stroking her hair as she pulled him closer...

**~ 0 ~**

Scarcely a month later, the snow began to fall in Nibelheim. An icy stillness submerged the small town in a surreal silence broken only by the soft crunching of snow beneath his feet. Turk training had him aware of all his surroundings, his keen senses listening, smelling, _feeling_ the world around him, knowing exactly what was near him and what dangers could be hiding beyond the next corner. Only an idiot would think that they are ever truly safe.

As he made his way towards the well in the centre of the town, he contemplated the strange request that he'd been covertly given on a crumpled piece of paper, the handwriting messy and rushed. The font was smudged in places, indicating that it had been written merely seconds before the paper had been palmed. It had been slipped it into his hand as she excused herself from the room to 'freshen up', a regretful look fleetingly flickering on her face as she walked by.

_'Meet me at the well at midnight.  
__-L'_

He could do nothing but comply, a bad feeling forming in his stomach.

As he surveyed his surroundings, the dark haired man looked up, the stars above him being something that he simply wasn't used to. He'd seen them many a times while on missions, but had never really had the time to just _look_ at them. The pin pricks of light emanating from the sky cast an ethereal glow over the town and he took a moment to just bathe in the unique spattering of light, his feet stilling only briefly before carrying him the rest of the way to the well.

Purposely arriving a little early, he walked around the structure, to ensure that there were no dangers lurking within the numerous shadows cast by the natural light. Finding the area clear, he stood with his back against the wooden supports and settled in to wait.

He didn't have to stand there for long before she joined him. "Vincent..." She rushed up to him, her arms spread as if she was going to pull him into another embrace but at the last second, she stopped just out of reach, letting her arms fall. "Vincent," She was speaking quickly and quietly in the rushed tones people only ever used when there was something wrong. Throwing glances in all directions as if she was afraid that she would be caught, she spoke, barely looking at him before throwing more worried looks around their area.

Her paranoia caught him off guard and put him on high alert. While he wasn't quite as obvious as her, he too was constantly checking for danger.

"I'm sorry." She was breathing rapidly, her movements becoming more and more erratic as her panic seemed to deepen, causing it to creep up in his own chest. What could possibly be wrong?

"I can't-" Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and paused for scarcely a second, "We can't keep seeing each other like this." she took a step backwards, her hands close to her chest, as if worried that he may pursue her. "Our being together... It's... it's against the rules."

To Vincent it was painfully obvious that this was just an excuse, a ruse to hide the true reason for her words. Her constant glances in every direction merely enforced that belief in the man. There was something else that she was worrying about – something that terrified her enough to lie to him.

Her hand found its way to her stomach, once again toying at the thick fabric. She looked as if she was going to throw up at any moment.

Enough was enough. He had to find out what was happening. "Lu, what's really going on?" He asked, once again stepping forward to reach out for her. This time, she took his hand briefly and squeezed before dropping it, her trembling hand dancing its way to her midriff. "It's nothing. It's just against the rules. That's all." Her tone was final, like she was trying hard not only to convince herself, but him as well.

Her piece said, she then fled, leaving Vincent in the dark, his reply dead on his tongue.

**~ 0 ~**

For the next short while, Lucrecia, did her best to ignore the Turk, constructing an elaborate dance that was obviously designed with the intent of avoiding his presence and finding her every excuse to leave the room, sometimes as many as three times in the hour. Though he was terribly confused, and more than a little hurt, Vincent found it quite clear that she didn't want to see or hear from him. If that was what she truly needed then he decided to give her the time that she seemed to so desperately need. While he longed to reach out to her, to _talk_ to her and understand just what was going on, he could be patient. Keeping his feelings in check, and remaining entirely professional in her presence, Vincent waited.

It was ten days after their meeting by the well that Vincent finally found the true reason why she had been acting the way she had.

"I thought you should know." She had pulled him aside late one night at the end of his guard shift. Speaking in hushed tones, she lead him into an abandoned corridor and stood beside him for a moment, keeping them both out of the prying eyes of the others.

An unreadable expression danced on her features briefly, causing Vincent to think that whatever it was she was about to tell him, he wouldn't like it. "That I'm marrying Hojo." The words were hollow, and he didn't believe that that was what she wanted, not for a moment. But the tone of her voice made it clear that there was no room for argument and Vincent found his heart freezing in his chest.

Just _what_ was going on?

His mind spun as he attempted to come up with a way of confronting the woman about her decision, of getting her to explain exactly what was going on and why she suddenly changed in her behaviour towards him. Two weeks ago, everything had been fine between them. There were no indications that she had been so much as fond of Hojo. In fact, Vincent was sure that she barely tolerated the greasy man. And now she was going to _marry_ him?

Something just didn't sit right.

By the time he had thought of something to say, it was already too late – Lucrecia had returned to the lab, to her 'fiancé'.

Unknown to either of them, prying eyes were peering from a distance. Light reflected off the round spectacles as they were pushed back in to place and the spy turned to leave.

Things carried on like normal for another month, Lucrecia successfully avoided and ignored Vincent in all but a professional capacity. Every attempt he made to talk to her was shot down almost instantly. Sometimes, he managed to convince himself that he saw a spark of regret in those chocolate brown eyes of hers. But as quickly as he had seen it, it disappeared. Try as he might, he just couldn't get her to open up to him.

**~ 0 ~**

The crash resonated throughout the laboratory, echoing off the stone walls in the empty room as loudly as an angry mother chocobos' wark. It was followed by a sharp cry, and several hushed words of anger. Being as Vincent was the Turk in charge of security, the nimble man rushed towards the commotion, making barely a sound as his feet glided across the un-carpeted floor. Stealth came naturally to a Turk, Vincent was no exception.

As a standard practice, the man paused by the door, peaking into the room to assess the potential danger rather than rushing in blind. Seeing nothing other than Hojo and Lucrecia, Vincent hesitated, watching the scene unfold inside the room.

Lucrecia was leaning against the table, her head bowed and her hand by her face. Her arm was around her stomach, once again. Hojo was stood before her, glowering down at her angrily. Neither party were aware of their observer in the shadows behind the almost closed door.

"I told you." Hojo's voice rang out, piercing the silence, "You will have nothing more to do with him! This child is now _mine_, and I will keep it that way. If you disobey me, I _will _ensure Valentine is never able to care for his child."

If it wasn't for his years of Turk training, the man would've inhaled sharply. As it was, his breathing remained quiet and steady, controlled. Yet his heart began to thump in his chest, beating at a speed almost fast enough for it to feel like it would get stuck in his throat, causing it to become a struggle for him to breathe.

_'...never able to care for his child'_

_'For his child'_

_'**His** child'_

Lucrecia was pregnant, and the baby was his.

This revelation affected him more than he could have ever imagined. Emotions began to swell within him, bobbing around like eddies in a current. He was to be a father... There was a child created by him and the woman he so dearly loved. There was no way he could allow Hojo to take that innocent child away. No way that he could subject it to that kind of a life.

Swallowing silently, Vincent brought his attention back to the room beyond the door and continued to watch, having missed half the conversation with his internal musings. Lucrecia was now stood tall, facing Hojo in a stance of defiance, hands making fists at her side and her head held tall. "This baby will _never_ be your child." She spat, her voice steady and cold. She was glowering at the professor, shooting venom with her words. "You may have subjected me to your experiments, you may have convinced me to leave him to keep him safe. But I will _never_ give you our child. You may have taken everything I love, but I will not let you take him too." A voice like steel, she prepared herself, able to predict _exactly_ what Hojo's reaction would be. And sure enough, the man raised his hand and she flinched, waiting for the inevitable slap.

Vincent was inside in seconds, positioning himself between the two in a flash before Hojo could complete the action he had aimed at the woman. Catching the professors arm, Vincent used it as leverage to violently push the man away from the woman behind him. "_Leave_her alone." He ordered, barely contained fury obvious in his voice. "Don't ever touch her again." His voice was low and calm, his veiled threat hanging in the air. The hand that still gripped the professors arm squeezed tightly, a further reiteration of his threat before he threw the arm aside, causing the professor to stumble a little.

The scientist righted himself and just smiled, an ugly, triumphant smile that one normally wears when he knows that he has won. "But you see, my dear Valentine. The experiments have already begun. Should I leave your... _beloved" _the word was said with such disdain that Vincent found it hard to believe that this man was ever anything but alone, "be now, she _will_ die." His tone left no room for argument. This wasn't a threat, but rather a fact.

"The mako and J-cells in her body need to be kept in a perfect balance as she... develops." The look on his face became more victorious as his grin widened, "You have no choice but to allow me to continue my experiments, to bring this child to full term and continue the experiments on it, less it die a horrible and painful death."

Looking past the Turk, Hojo turned that ugly smile on Lucrecia, "You see my dear, this child is already mine, blood or no. You handed him over to me the moment you allowed me to follow through on my hypothesis. That baby belongs to me."

Taking a final victorious look at the pair, Hojo pulled on his clothes, readjusting them to normal before confidently striding out of the lab, not even glancing back to the pair.

Once he was sure the scientist had left, Vincent turned to regard Lucrecia, noting her down-turned eyes, her hand on her stomach and the shaking of her body. "Lu...?" He asked, in an unstable, cautious voice, not quite sure how to voice the feelings circulating around his body. "You're..."

Without raising her eyes, the young woman nodded, "Two months." She said, "It's... it's yours."

Finally, she lifted her head, smiling softly at Vincent, a regretful look on her face. "He said that he'd hurt you. That if I stayed with you, he'd requisition you for his next experiment – even force you into it. He told me exactly what he would do to you..." She shuddered and didn't explain what the scientist had had in mind for him. Vincent decided that he didn't want to know. He'd read enough about the professor to know that he was capable of monstrous acts.

Reaching up, he gently caressed Lucrecia's cheek, staring lovingly into her eyes, refusing to show her any of the fear he felt. The adrenalin was ebbing away, and he felt physically drained, yet emotionally turbulent.

"You could've told me." He murmured softly, stepping closer to her "I can take care of myself..." Reaching out with his other arm, he pulled her into the embrace that he had been so craving for a long while. Taking unnecessary care not to bump her stomach, he held her tight, relishing in the closeness that he had missed dearly.

"Oh Vincent," She leaned into the embrace, hands gripping tightly to the material of his suit. "I couldn't. I couldn't let you get hurt." She was still shaking, her voice trembling with fear. "He cornered me, and said that he wouldn't let any harm come to us. He injected me with something. Told me that it was to make our child stronger, faster and smarter than any other child." She shuddered at the memory, forcing down the panic that began to rise at the mere thought of what had happened all those weeks ago. "He wouldn't tell me what he was doing until after he started. He wasn't lying when he said that the mako levels in my system need to be kept steady. He's injected our baby with something. But I don't know what." The panic that only a mother could feel was beginning to take hold. Her trembling increased as she tried to pull herself closer to Vincent, in the hopes that he really could protect her completely.

Turk tightened his grip on the woman he loved. "We'll see what happens." He whispered to her, "We'll let Hojo believe he's won, at least until the baby is born. In the mean time I want you to find out _everything_ you can on what he's doing to you and ….our child..." He still couldn't get that around his head, and even in the terrible situation they were on at the moment, he couldn't prevent the small smile that found its way onto his face. Pushing the emotion away, the Turk concentrated on their current situation. There would be time to address that later.

Laying a small kiss on his lovers head, he pulled back and looked her in the eyes, both hands coming to rest on her cheeks as he continued his instructions. "As soon as you've found something, we'll get out. We will take our child and run – however long and however far it takes. I _will_ protect you." Pulling back, he looked into her eyes, one hand reaching up to caress her face. "_Always._" He promised before pulling her back into an embrace.

For the next few weeks, Vincent rarely left Lucrecia's side, causing Hojo to linger around them suspiciously. Slowly, Vincent convinced Lucrecia that he had to back off a little to convince the scientist that he had won, that they were co-operating with the madman's orders.

After a while, Hojo began to let his guard down, and Lucrecia was able to piece together exactly what his experiments entailed. What he was doing to her child, while fascinating, was sickening. The theories were intriguing to say the least, but there was no way that it was morally acceptable to preform such actions on an unborn child.

However, she had no choice but to continue with the treatments. Had she stopped, both herself and her unborn child would have died. Even if he wasn't completely human when he was born, at least her son would have a chance at life. And with Vincent's help, she would make sure that he had a chance at a happy life.

Together, they gathered Intel and made a plan.

**~ 0 ~**

"Let me see him!" Her screams went unbidden in the night, the scientists around her ignoring everything she had to say. Two troopers held her back as she struggled to break free to lunge herself at Hojo. The moment she had given birth, the _moment_ her son had been born, he had been ripped from her. She hadn't even had the chance to hold the child before she'd lost him.

It had taken her barely an hour to recover enough to fight for him. Her stomach still ached, her body was still weak and sweat clung to her face, but she was a mother scorned and there was _no way_ in hell that this man was going to keep her from her baby. "Let me see my baby, just once!" Struggling with all her might, she tried to pull herself free. It took three infantrymen to hold her back. "Please!" She begged, tears streaming down her eyes.

If she could hold him, if she could get at him, she could take him and run. Get Vincent and escape.

A harsh laugh was Hojo's only reply as he moved away. "Kill her." He waved his hand and said the words simply, as if he was ordering a cup of tea. He had no more use for her. She had given him the spawn that he required and had been a live incubator for his newest achievement. As far as Hojo was concerned, she was no longer needed.

"NO!" Her blood curdling cry almost covered the sound of the two shots being fired. Suddenly the arms holding her back went limp and the infantrymen dropped, letting her go. She fell to the ground, her body collapsing as her support disappeared. Slowly, she rose to her feet, a look of pure vengeance on her face as she started to rush towards Hojo, not even bothering to investigate the origin of the weapons fire. Just as she was starting to move, a black blur rushed past her, colliding with Hojo and throwing him heavily to the floor.

Vincent looked up at Lucrecia from his position atop Hojo, "He's in the lab." He called. "Find him and meet me by the well." He then turned his attention back to the sick scientist, holding him down and glaring at him. Mustering all of his hate in to one action he lifted his arm, he brought it down directly on the man's face. Once. Twice. Three times."You _will_ leave my family alone." He let out an animalistic growl, glaring down at the older man with utter contempt.

Again, Hojo just laughed, coughing through the blood that was pouring out of his nose. Peering at the Turk through a rapidly bruising eye, he grinned the grin of a man that believes he's won. "You will seek me out. That child cannot survive on its own." He seemed to find the whole situation excruciatingly humorous, his laughter continued to grow until Vincent had had enough. With one final roar of rage, his fist once again connected with Hojo face, knocking the man out cold with a sickening crack as his nose finally gave in and broke.

Pausing briefly to be sure that the scientist was truly unconscious, Vincent stood, the idea of killing the man briefly crossing his mind. He dismissed the idea just as quickly, the need for haste out weighing his desire for vengeance. There would be time enough for that later. When his family is safe.

Swiftly he left the room, intent on meeting and protecting his child.

**~ 0 ~**

The town was small. No, that was an understatement. The town was _tiny_. And in the middle of no-where.

_Perfect._ Vincent thought, as he looked towards the small village, surrounded by green. Everywhere he looked there was nature. It was a wonderful place to raise their child, hidden in the sticks, with nothing there to attract anybody who would be likely to look for them - a farming town that had plenty to do outside in the fresh air.

A soft smile formed unbidden on his face as he looked down to the infant he was holding in his arms. A blanket was wrapped around him, covering him almost completely and all but obscuring the small tufts of soft silver hair upon his tiny head. Gently, Vincent reached up with his free hand and stroked his forehead. The ever so green eyes opened slightly to regard the adult holding him. If Vincent hadn't known better, he would've thought the child was glaring at him for disturbing his sleep.

In the five days that the small family had been travelling, the boy had only cried a hand full of times, only when he was hungry or when he needed to be changed. He was already growing to be a well-behaved baby that any parent could be proud of.

Turning around, Vincent turned that smile on his lover, reaching his hand out to help her off the truck that had brought them there. "Thank you," He turned to the driver as the truck drove off.

Still holding Lucrecia's hand, he led her into the small town.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around at the nature around them. The town was fertile, the main export being the produce from their many farms.

"A farming town, by the name of Gongaga." Vincent explained as they continued to walk down the gravel path leading into the village.

Upon entering the town, Vincent lead them to the largest house, releasing Lucrecia's hand to knock on the door. It took only seconds for the answer, the door swinging open to reveal a tall blonde man smiling down at them. "Ah, Vincent." He said, reaching out to shake his hand. "Please," He turned his smile at Lucrecia also, "Come in."

He led them into the humble abode and into a small sitting room. In the centre of the room there was a coffee table, a red leather couch on either side of the modest piece of furniture. The tall man sat down on one of the couches, gesturing for the young couple to sit opposite him. He regarded them with his piercing blue eyes, looking them up and down as if to asses their worth. Smiling, he seemed pleased with what he saw.

"I must say, when you called, I wasn't expecting you to arrive so quickly." Turning to Lucrecia, he bowed his head. "My name is Arthur." He introduced himself. "Your husband saved my life a few years ago, so when he called me, saying he needed a place to hide out, I volunteered my services." He glanced at the baby, still asleep in Vincent's arms. "I have a home available for your use, but first we have some business to discuss."

This was a veiled request for her to leave the room. Vincent turned to his 'wife' and handed her their son. "Why don't you go outside and enjoy the fresh air?" He suggested, laying a promise onto those words that everything was under control and that she was safe.

Taking their baby into her arms, Lucrecia nodded and left the room, cooing over the infant. She trusted Vincent to do what was right for them. After everything they had gone through in Nibelheim, she had learned her lesson.

Standing outside, she raised her head to the sky, allowing the heat of the sun rest upon her face for a few moments of peace. In her arms, the baby stirred and stretched, his tiny hand reaching out of the blanket and waving aimlessly in front of his unfocused eyes. The week old child was only vaguely aware of the world around him, knowing nothing of the horrors that he had barely escaped, of the atrocities already preformed on both himself and his mother. But Lucrecia was aware of it and she vowed never to let any more harm come to this innocent life. The little one gave a soft cry.

Some say, when you become a mother, you bond with your child as it grows inside you. The theory goes that while the child shares your body, you connect with them, feeling what they feel and craving what they need. For Lucrecia, this hadn't stopped since her child's birth.

Smiling down at the boy, she shook her head, her long ponytail swaying with her actions. "Not right now, sweetheart. I'll feed you very soon." A soft laugh escaped her as the baby made another small sound, his hand still waving in front of him. She caught the hand in her own and gently stroked the small fingers with her thumb.

It wasn't long before Vincent emerged from the house, storing an envelope in his breast pocket as he approached his family.

Smiling, and almost giggling, Lucrecia walked to meet him. "Wife?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.

"It was an assumption. One I allowed him to keep." He put his arm around the woman and lead her down the gravel road.

Gongaga wasn't large enough for real roads or paths. There were only stoned walkways between the small cottages that littered the area here and there. The small dwellings were cosy and homely. While they were barely large enough for three people, they were well made and, above all, safe. Nobody would expect a rouge Turk to hide out here. In his breast pocket were the fake papers that gave them all new identities, at least on paper. There was also a work permit, allowing him to help on the farms in exchange for the necessities of life for himself and his family. Not enough to get rich by, but enough to live comfortably.

"Here we are." He gestured to a cottage, identical to all the others, and lead the way inside. Once he opened the door, Lucrecia entered and looked around. The single story bungalow housed two small bedrooms, a tidy kitchen and a room for the family to gather. After a nod from Vincent, she looked around, poking her head into both rooms.

The first had a dark red motif, the bedspread a deep shade of crimson, blending easily into the wooden floors and pale cream walls. The thick curtains were a lighter shade of red, pulled aside to let the last of the days sun in. She found it beautiful.

Next, she looked into the other room and her breath caught in her throat, her free hand reaching up to her mouth. Her dark eyes widened as she looked around, taking in the small room. Pushed up against the wall was a small crib, a simple mobile hanging from one corner. The curtains were a soft shade of blue, giving the room a light glow that blended into the matching rug on the wooden floor. In one corner was a shelf, littered with plush soft toys of various soft colours. The walls had patterns on them, letters and simple shapes.

In her eyes, it was a perfect room for their baby.

Walking into the room, she made her way to the crib, leaning down to place the child on the soft blankets, making sure that he was completely wrapped and warm. Then, she simply stood, her hands gripping the railing as she looked down at her child.

Vincent walked up behind her, gently placing his hand on her back. "It's not much... The families in the town have this custom, where if a new baby is born, those with children of their own donate the toys their children have outgrown." A way or recycling in a town that's too small to really afford unnecessary new things.

Leaning back against her lover, Lucrecia nodded, tears in her eyes. "It's perfect." She said, turning to look at him. "Thank you. Thank you so much." She pulled him into another embrace, the tears falling from her eyes. "It's perfect."

And so they settled into their new home, Vincent learning how to work on a farm, Lucrecia learning the ins and outs of motherhood. Baby Sephiroth did his part too, with dirty nappies, outgrowing clothes and slowly learning how to interact with the brand new world around him.

**~ ~ 0 ~ ~ 0 ~ ~**

**Thank you for reading! **

**This story hasn't been betad, and at the moment, I'm just brimming with plot bunnies, so I'm just trying to get it all down before it disappears.  
If anyone sees any mistakes, please let me know. Also, I love reviews. It gets me motivated. This isn't a cry for reviews, (well, it kid of is), but the more I get, the more motivated I am to continue. **

**If I don't get any, I tend to believe that nobody is interested. So if you like it, if you want to see some more, or even if you want to point out a mistake, then please let me know.**

**Also, I should point out that I've never actually played Dirge of Cerberus, so my knowledge of Lucrecia's personality is fleeting at best. Any tips would be appreciated.**

**Recommendation: The Fifth Act by Sinnatious. **

**Summary: Cloud has an accident with a Time materia. There are people to save, and for that, some people need to die. **

**Personal Score: 5/5 stars. Amazing plot with a beautiful writing style. **


	2. Of Friendship and Brotherhood

**I recently found myself unemployed (bummer) and thus I have more time on my hands, so I will try and have the chapters written more closely together and posted quickly. But I can't promise anything. I'm also working on a collaborative fic with x-Trisana-Skystorm-x (who shall from now on be simply called Tris or Trissy since I'm sick of typing her full penname), which is taking up a lot of my time. It's a more fun, fluffy fic, that will only be posted once it is completed (the plan isn't as intense as the one I have for this and leaves room for lots of changes). **

**Anyway, thanks for being so patient with me. Sorry it's taken me so long to get this one up. I actually only had a vague plan of how this was going to work, but I did it and now I have some amazingly cute mental images of Sephiroth in a onsie... **

**This was a little shorter than I had intended, but I can't really add any more without changing too much. The next chapter will most likely be longer... I hope. **

**Word Count: 5946**

**Warnings: Super cute start but then it gets a little dark at the end.**

**Disclaimer: Okay, if I owned Final Fantasy VII, then being unemployed wouldn't be a bummer at all. Not one bit. As it is, I'll just waste away my days playing the damn game and dreaming up new and fun stuff to do with the characters. **

**~~ 0 ~ 0 ~~**

**Resonance of Fate**

**~ Chapter 2 - εуλ 1977-1984 ~**

**~ Of Friendships and Brotherhood ~**

She wasn't sure she was meant to be a mother. The trials of motherhood weighed darkly on her mind as she thought of all the problems their little family would face. They were enemies of Shinra, a dangerous position to be in even when you didn't have a defenceless child to protect. That would be more than enough to make Lucrecia lose her faith in her abilities to be a fit parent, yet on top of that she had the feeling of complete and utter failure. She had no experience with this motherhood thing, and worst of all there was no one she could turn to for help. Vincent was wonderful, so amazed with the idea of having a child that he almost didn't want to let the fragile being out of his sight for any moment, only letting him go when he had to go to work. He was somewhat of a natural. She on the other hand was nothing short of disaster. She was a scientist not a home-maker, she hadn't even had the faintest idea of how to fold a cloth diaper.

Sephiroth was almost two weeks old by now, still barely aware of the world and completely depending on his parents for everything. He couldn't eat without her, he couldn't sleep without her, couldn't do _anything _without her, and it was weighing on her mind. Often, she found herself staring down at her baby analysing him, his reactions to outside stimuli, his seeming ability to focus on things for the briefest of moments, and while this was something that all mothers were known to do, she was doing it for another reason.

Part of her mind still regarded the child as an experiment. He was after all, a creation like no other. She could already see the Jenova traits within him, from his silver eyes to his matching hair. This child was not completely human, and because of this, Lucrecia was finding it hard to love her child completely; rather she was thinking of him as a project she had to take care of.

She didn't want to tell Vincent any of this. The man was so in love with fatherhood that she believed anything that threatened that would be dealt with – even if it was her. She watched them interact from afar, enjoying the way that Vincent's face lit up when he was around the baby, the way he seemed solely focused on the bundle in his arms. It was a precious sight. But one that didn't quite seem real to her.

As Sephiroth grew, she found herself running small, non-invasive experiments on him. From his reaction to sounds, colours and smells, to his physical appearance. After only a few weeks, she was able to ascertain that he did indeed have some remarkable qualities. For instance, his hair was completely flame retardant. Having cut off a small amount with difficulty, she had run a few experiments on it, trying to find out what it was that caused its colour. While it was quite difficult to run tests due to her lack of resources, she was able to do the basic chemical ones. His hair couldn't be melted by acid, couldn't be dyed a different colour, it was strong enough to withstand considerably more physical trauma than her own or Vincent's, and it was completely fireproof.

It also grew back within the few hours before Vincent returned from work.

She found the whole experience enlightening, and was beginning to analyse his eyes when she was caught.

"Lu..." Vincent's voice sounded from the doorway, causing her to jump and drop the penlight she had been holding. It landed quietly beside the sleeping infant, rolling once until it was pressed against his hand. Lucrecia turned, an embarrassed look on her face and regarded her 'husband'.

He was standing, silhouetted against the light behind him, his work attire rumpled from a days work on the farms. The red plaid shirt hung loosely around his shoulders, hanging open at the front to reveal his slowly tanning chest.

"Lu, what are you doing?" He asked, walking into the room. He smelt of sweat and dirt, and had obviously just arrived home. Leaning over the crib, he retrieved the torch and held it up questioningly but before he could ask, the baby's nose twitched and he woke up, crying loudly and suddenly, making Lucrecia twitch.

Had they been parents for a few moor weeks, Vincent would have probably just left Sephiroth to cry himself back to sleep, but as this was still new to him, and he loved his child so very dearly that he couldn't help himself from leaning over and picking the boy up. "I know," He mumbled soothingly, "I know, daddy doesn't smell very nice..."

Lucrecia found herself storing that information away for future use – Sephiroth seemed to have a heightened sense of smell. She would test that later, along with his other senses.

Still holding the child, Vincent turned back to Lucrecia, swaying as he held out the penlight. "Lu, is everything okay?" he asked, wondering why she was using the light on their sleeping child. "Is he sick?" He asked, feeling the baby's forehead as he rocked back and forth.

Due to Vincent's movements, and the heat radiating from his body, Sephiroth had stopped crying, instead giving his father seemingly mildly irritated looks as his nostrils flared. His silver eyes held a hint of green as they stared up at the man.

Lucrecia shook her head, leading the pair from the baby's room into the living area. She sat down on the small couch nonchalantly, as if trying to hide the severity of her actions. "No." She told him, "I was just interested in his eyes." She looked at the two men in her life, staring at the baby in particular. "Haven't you noticed that they turn green when he's upset? And his pupil – it's more of a slit than round." She tried to hide her excitement and scientific curiosity, but she was unable to do so, "I had to wonder if that was because of the Jenova cells. What does it me-"

"Lu!" The look in Vincent's dark eyes was dark and warning. Holding the child tighter, he stared at her for a moment before speaking, "Lucrecia..." Now his tone was softer, "Sephiroth is our son. Not an experiment. We brought him here so that he could live a normal life – be a normal child. That won't happen if you're constantly questioning him. When he's old enough, we'll tell him everything, and at that time, if he's willing, you can test your hypothesises then. But until he's old enough to give you informed consent, I don't think it's a good idea. Watch him, by all means, but don't get him upset just to see how his eyes work."

During his little talk, he'd gotten up and stood before Lucrecia. He could understand to a point that the woman was a scientist at heart. The move here hadn't been easy on her – Gongaga wasn't exactly known for it's scientific community, but he hadn't expected this. "Please, Lu, promise me." Kneeling before her, he placed one hand on her thigh, his other holding the child close.

Looking at her partner, then her child, Lucrecia slowly nodded, her eyes filling with tears. This just showed her how terrible she was as a mother, never mind the inability to fold a diaper, or the fact that Sephiroth had to remind her to feed him, or that Vincent was the one who always remembered to put the baby to bed. She was a terrible mother for the fact that she was experimenting on her child. Her innocent, unprotected child.

Part of her wanted to just give him to Vincent and run, to disappear before she could do more damage. But the look on Vincent's face stopped her. He had found her running tests on their child, and yet he could still look at her with such love and affection in his warm chocolate eyes. How could he still lover her after that?

"I can't do this, Vince." She said quietly, looking at her child, "You're so wonderful with him... I barely remember to feed him. He cries when I pick him up..."

Vincent just smiled at her. "You're still new to this." Both his words and tone were comforting as he moved to sit beside her. Gently handing her the child, he positioned her arms to give Sephiroth the best support. The child still cried, his silver eyes flashing green as they filled with tears and his lungs got to work. "Now rock." Vincent suggested.

Following his advice, Lucrecia was amazed that the child quietened. His lips still trembled, but his eyes returned to their usual silver sheen. She couldn't stop the grin that took over her face as she stared down at her son. Lifting her head, she looked at Vincent and leaned into him, gently laying a kiss on his lips as she did so.

Okay, so with a little help from Vincent, maybe, just maybe she could do this after all.

**~~0~0~~**

"No! Mine!" The toddler held the toy close to his chest in a highly defensive manner, his normally silver eyes turning a bright shade of green as he gave a defiant glare to his parents. At a little over three years old, Sephiroth was growing into a strong willed young boy, knowing exactly what he wanted and how to get it.

Vincent knelt down in the doorway, knowing from experience that it was a bad idea to approach the child when he was in such a height of emotion. "Sephiroth, you haven't played with it in almost six months." He told his son, "There's another boy in town who will play with it all the time."

Another family in town had just had their first child, and in keeping with town tradition, it was Sephiroth's turn to pass on the toys he had outgrown, but when Lucrecia and Vincent had told him as much, the boy had reacted badly. The small stuffed chocobo was only the first of the toys that they had to wrestle from him.

"Mine!" Sephiroth yelled, shaking his head and sending his long silver hair everywhere. "Baby doesn't want it!" He insisted, as if he already knew for sure.

Sighing in frustration, Vincent held a hand out to his son, "C'mon." He said to the boy, an idea working in his mind, "How about you come with me and _ask_ the baby if he wants it or not."

Lucrecia gave him a puzzled look, but Vincent simply smiled at her. Sephiroth hesitated for a moment before walking forward and taking Vincent's hand. With his other, he still held the black toy close.

Leading the child out of their small house and across the dirt street, Vincent knocked on the door to the home of the young family. It was opened quickly to reveal a young man with impossibly dark and messy hair and shining blue eyes. He looked at Vincent with a welcoming grin. "Hello!" He opened the door wider and stepped aside, allowing the Valentine males to enter.

"You must be Sephiroth." The man said, kneeling beside the boy. Sephiroth took half a step back, holding his toy close to his chest and just stared at the man as if daring him to take the stuffed toy. "I'm Logan. Logan Fair. Nice to meet you." The tall man offered Sephiroth his hand to shake, but Sephiroth just stared at it and shuffled behind Vincent's leg.

He wasn't used to talking to other adults, only his parents. He'd met the mayor a few times, but didn't interact with him at all. Usually, Sephiroth just played with his toys and minded his own business.

Laughing a little, Logan stood and ruffled the top of Sephiroth's long hair, earning him a small glare from the child who shook his head in an attempt to flatten his hair hands free.

Laughing at the look on his son's face, Vincent followed Logan when he lead them into their baby's room. It was much like Sephiroth's had been when they first moved, colourful but simple with lightly decorated walls. There were no toys, however, as Sephiroth was the next youngest child and had yet to give up his.

"See, Seph," Vincent gestured around the room, "Little baby Zack doesn't have any toys. You have lots, and you don't play with them." Sephiroth's silver eyes looked around the room, scanning the empty shelves. His gaze landed on the cot at the other end of the room, and seemingly without realizing it, he let go of his father's hand to wander up to the crib. Looking through the bars, he came face to face with the infant inside. The baby was asleep, facing Sephiroth and looking peaceful and innocent.

The older boy stared at him for a moment before turning back to his father, raising his arms in a sign that he wanted to be lifted up. Vincent did as Sephiroth asked and held the child over the crib as Sephiroth leaned down and placed the soft toy next to the sleeping baby. Pointing to the black hair that was short enough to form natural spikes on the child's head, Sephiroth spoke quietly to his father. "Zakzak looks like a chocobo!" He grinned, "Chocobos should be in the coup together," he quoted one of his books.

Logan laughed at that, startling Sephiroth into pulling himself closer to Vincent. Chuckling, Vincent pulled back a little and looked at Sephiroth, "It's okay. Logan is a friend." Carrying Sephiroth, he walked over to the dark haired man and introduced them properly, face to face. "It's okay, you can talk to him. I think he's happy to meet you."

Still keeping himself close to Vincent, Sephiroth held out his right hand in a gesture somewhat familiar to the one that the other had done a few minutes ago. "I'm Sephiroth." The boy introduced himself, incredibly proud that he could say his long name. "Can I come see the chocobos lots?"

"Any time you want to." Logan promised with a smile.

**~~0~0~~**

Sephiroth spent a lot of time at the Fair household, which gave Lucrecia and Vincent a little time to themselves. Whenever Sephiroth wasn't with Zack and his parents, both boys spent his time at their home. It was a win-win situation for both couples, as it meant that they both had some time off from taking care of the children, a much needed break when you're a new parent.

Because of this, Sephiroth quickly became attached to Zack, and would often give him his toys to play with, seemingly giving up one of his toys every day for the child. When Zack learned how to sit up on his own, Sephiroth was there to hold him up, when Zack started talking, Sephiroth would teach him words, when he started to crawl, Sephiroth would crawl right there beside him. Sephiroth was there to catch Zack when he fell as he was learning to stand, and held his hands as he took his first steps. The boys had become close, and Sephiroth had taken a liking to Zack, protecting his 'Zakzak' dearly.

"Zakzak play!" Sephiroth, now five years old, ordered the two year old, handing him a wooden toy.

The two families were sat outside the Valentine house, the adults sipping at their drinks as they enjoyed the last of the summer sun. Logan's wife, Jean, was helping Lucrecia prepare dinner for the two families and the men were watching the children play. Since Zack and Sephiroth were relatively close in age, it hadn't really surprised anybody just how close the tow became so quickly.

"Play!" Zack copied Sephiroth's word, holding the toy high and bringing it down roughly to the ground, overexcited as always, his bright blue eyes shining with mirth.

"No, not like that!" Sephiroth admonished, "Like this!" He roughly took the truck from Zack and began to push it along on the ground, as if teaching the other how to use it. Zack giggled and clapped, and it became obvious that that was all that he'd wanted all along.

"Bi'bro play, Bi'bro play!" Zack then put his hand on the truck at the same time, and together, they pushed it along, Sephiroth making his own sound effects.

Logan, eyes still on the children, turned his head to Vincent, "You know, I don't think that there's ever existed a closer pair of friends," He said, his voice light and happy, "It wouldn't' surprise me if those to stayed friends all their lives." Finally turning his blue eyes to the other man, he smiled, "You've got a good boy there."

"So do you," Vincent returned the compliment, sipping at his drink.

**~~0~0~~**

It all happened so fast. One day, they were laughing and playing, enjoying the summer sun, and the next...

Sephiroth stayed quiet, just like he was told to. He was being a good boy for Logan, staying still with his hand over his mouth, crouched behind a barrel in their largest cupboard. He could see through the gap, his green-tinted fear filled eyes peering out of the small opening to watch the events unfold.

He had been at the Fair house, sitting at their table and enjoying some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when his mother had rushed over, talking quickly to Logan before coming over to him and hugging him close. "Sephiroth, no matter what happens, always remember that mommy loves you." She'd said, tears in her eyes and her breathing coming rapidly. Pulling back, Lucrecia held her son by his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes. "I need you to be good for Logan, okay? Do whatever he tells you. I'll see you again, okay, I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to come home to you." She kissed him on the forehead then she was gone, and he was being pushed gently into the cupboard by Logan.

"Sephy, this is very important. I need to to hide behind that barrel there, and put your hands on your mouth, just like this," he demonstrated, putting both hands tightly over his mouth, "and stay very still and very quiet until me or Jean come to get you, okay?" When Sephiroth nodded, Logan smiled, trying to be comforting for the boy. "There's a good boy."

So Sephiroth had done as he was asked, sitting very still behind the barrel, his hands tightly over his mouth. His seven year old brain couldn't quite tell how long he'd been sitting there, but he knew that it had to be very important that he stayed there. His mom had been crying. She never cried. She was his mom. She wasn't allowed to cry. This had frightened Sephiroth into doing exactly what he was told without the questions that would normally come.

There was a loud knock on the door and a crash. Someone spoke softly and even Sephiroth's strong hearing couldn't quite pick up the exact words, but when Jean shouted, he could hear those. "What is going on!" She asked, both her voice and her pitch loud. The stranger spoke quietly again, and Sephiroth strained his ears trying to hear.

"There's nobody by that name here," Logan's voice this time, strong and unbreakable. The man stood before the crack in the door casually, not bringing attention to the cupboard, but hiding the glowing of Sephiroth's eyes from the intruder.

It wasn't long before the stranger left, and Sephiroth wondered if he was allowed to come out. His lunch had been interrupted and he was very hungry, but he didn't dare move until Logan or Jean came to get him.

More time passed, and the boy was starting to get very impatient, especially when it started to get dark, yet he dare not move. Eventually, he fell asleep, still huddled behind the barrel. It was like this that he was found, Logan reaching in to lift the small boy out of the cupboard.

"I'm so sorry Seph." He whispered to the sleeping child, carrying him to the small room that he often shared with Zack.

Several years ago, they had moved a small single bed into the room for Sephiroth to use when he stayed over, and it had quickly become a permanent feature in the small room. Tucking him into the bed, Logan looked down at the child, glancing across to the other small bed to look at his own child. "Looks like you two will be sharing for a while longer," He said to the sleeping inhabitants.

Leaving the room, Logan shut the door behind him, his head lowered as he breathed deeply. Tragedy had struck this night. Sephiroth had nowhere else to go, and he intended on fulfilling his promise to Lucrecia and Vincent. Sephiroth would stay safe – he would keep the child away from harm, even should it kill him.

Jean saw the look on his face from down the hall and walked up to him, holding her husband close. "We'll take care of him," She promised, tears falling from her eyes. "We won't let those monsters get him."

**~~0~0~~**

Silver eyes opened blearily and took in their surroundings. It wasn't the first time that Sephiroth had woken somewhere different to where he fell asleep, and the boy barely took any notice of it, besides the fact that he was in his shared room at the Fair house. Looking to his right, he saw the sleeping form of Zack. Swinging his legs off the bed, he walked up to his pseudo brother and gently shook him.

"ZakZak," he hadn't let that name drop. He'd been calling him that from the day they had met, and had every intention of using it for the rest of their lives. "Zakzak!" He shook the boy a little harder when he refused to wake up.

"No." Was the simple reply as Zack turned over and tried to get back to sleep. Even at four years old, the boy was still a handful.

With a mischievous smirk, Sephiroth leaned forward and quickly plucked one of Zack's hairs out, causing the boy to scream and sit up in alarm before giving Sephiorth a dirty glare and rubbing at his head.

"Daddy said stop that." the younger child grumbled, his chubby hands still rubbing at the top of his head. "Jus' coz I can't do it back." He'd tried, oh how he'd tired, but Sephiroth's hair was far too strong for that. It was the reason that the young boy wore it down to his waist – they simply didn't have the right tools to cut it.

"C'mon." Sephiroth took Zack's hand and began to drag him out of bed, "Lets get food. I'm hungry."

Zack knew better than to argue. Arguing only lead to dragging, and then carrying. Sephiroth was used to getting his own way and he was determined enough to make sure that it happened.

Together, the two children made their way into the kitchen, the closed feet in their onsies protecting them from the cold of the wooden floor. Once they reached the kitchen, neither were surprised to see Logan and Jean standing by the sink, sipping on some sort of hot drink that they weren't allowed to touch.

Outside it was sunny – the first sunny day that they'd had all season – and Sephiroth and Zack knew that today they would be playing outside.

"Sephiroth," Logan's strong voice pierced the child's thought of outdoor play and drew the silver eyes to meet bright blue ones. "Come here." The words were gentle and sympathetic, automatically putting Sephiroth on high alert. Last time anybody talked to him like that when he wasn't hurt was when his hamster had died.

Still gripping Zack's hand tightly, more for comfort than dominance now, Sephiroth followed Logan into the sitting room and sat on the couch when gestured tom pulling Zack up beside him.

"Sephiroth, why don't you let Zack go get some breakfast?" the older man suggested, causing both boys to tighten their grip on each other.

"No!" Zack shook his head and hugged Sephiroth from the side, making it abundantly clear that he wasn't leaving his 'bi'bro''s side. Obviously he'd realized that Sephiroth was upset and had no intention of abandoning his best friend.

With a sigh Logan nodded, realizing that he couldn't win if both boys were in agreement. Oh they were going to make a fine team one day. "Okay. Sephiroth, I have to tell you something very important. Yesterday, some bad people came." He wasn't entirely sure how to break the news to the youth – how were you supposed to tell someone that their parents were gone? "And your mommy and daddy had to go away with them for a little while." Okay, he supposed that was mean – making it seem like Lucrecia and Vincent had any hope of coming back, "But your mommy asked me to look after you, so you're going to stay with us. We'll go and get all of your things for you today, and you can sleep in Zack's room with him."

Sephiroth just listened, his arm holding Zack closer. Part of him was scared that his parents had gone away, but mommy had told him that she'd come back so he knew that things would be okay. "Okay." He said softly, still cuddling Zack close. "When are they coming home?" She said she would. She'd told him that she'd come back to him. That she'd do whatever it takes to come home. He knew this.

So why was he crying?

"I don't know." Logan replied honestly, shaking his head and offering a small smile to Sephiroth. "But I don't think Zack can breathe..." His son was looking incredibly uncomfortable. Sephiroth was strong, and hugging him with all his might. The moment Logan said something, Sephiroth let go and Zack scampered off, reappearing moments later with the black stuffed chocobo that they both loved to share.

Gratefully, Sephiroth took the stuffed animal and held it close to his chest, seeking comfort from the toy that wouldn't die if he held it with all his strength.

"Shall we play?" Zack asked, tugging on Sephiroth's sleeve and all but dragging the shocked boy outside.

The play time helped, Sephiroth bouncing back to happiness in a way that only young children could, quickly forgetting about his fear. His parents had gone away for a little while, but at least they'd left him with a family that loved him like their own, a mother figure, a father figure, and a little brother that he held so very close to his heart. While Sephiroth missed his mom and dad, he was happy that he was able to live with the Fair's for a while.

It was only a few weeks later that the strangers came back. This time, Sephiroth had been playing with Zack in their room because of the heavy rain outside. Both boys were dressed warmly, their knitted woollen sweaters an early Christmas gift from Zack's grandmother who, like the Fair's, had treated Sephiroth like her own. Zack had a deep blue sweater, and Sephiroth had a dark green.

Because of the weather, both boys hadn't been outside in several days, and they were starting to get more than a little bored with the indoor toys that they had, so they'd started finding new ways to play together. Now, for instance, they were playing soldier, each holding a small wooden sword (that had come from Zack's grandfather), crashing them together in a mock fight as they jumped from place to place, pretending to do amazing somersaults and other fancy swordplay.

This was, however, until Logan ran in. He picked up both boys and rushed down to the same cupboard Sephiroth had been in when his parents went away. Kneeling down, he put the boys back on his feet and looked at the two of them. "Okay boys, we're going to play a little game," the worry in his eyes was apparent to both boys, but they nodded anyway. "Sephiroth, you've played this game before. You remember? Sit still, very still and hold your hand over your mouth. Can you show Zack?"

Nodding again, Sephiroth put both his hands over his mouth tightly, just as he had that day.

"Good boy," Logan smiled and ruffled the top of Sephiroth's hair, earning a glare from the child as he reached out to smooth it. "Okay, this time it's a little different. Sephy, I want you to hold Zack close, make sure that he doesn't move and keeps quiet." Sephiroth nodded then, and when they were pushed into the cupboard, he pulled Zack by the hand. He knew this wasn't a game, but he wanted Zack to believe that it was. Sitting down, he put Zack on his lap and held the boy close.

"Remember," Sephiroth whispered, looking down at the blue-eyed boy on his lap, "Hands over your mouth and stay very still. If you move or talk, you lose the game." An arm around the little one, Sephiroth followed his own instructions with his other hand over his mouth, his eyes once again peering through the small gap in the door.

Nothing happened for the first few minutes, just the adults cleaning up after the children and speaking in hushed tones. Logan was telling Jean that it would be okay, that everything was going to be fine and that they'd leave eventually. Sephiroth wasn't sure what that meant, but he stayed quiet none the less.

On his lap, Zack was obviously getting bored, a sigh or two escaping him. Sephiroth nudged him to remind him of the rules of the "game".

All of a sudden, there was a loud crash and two men walked in. Through the gap in the door, Sephiroth could see that they were wearing black suits and business shoes. This time, they were close enough to the cupboard for Sephiroth to hear them.

"Where is the boy?" The voice was deep and steady.

"Our son? He's staying at a friend's house." Jean's voice was a little bit shaky. Zack stirred at the words, but Sephiroth held onto him.

A sigh from the other man in black, "No, not your kid. We don't _care_ about your kid. Where's the Valentine boy?"

"Not here." As always, Logan spoke strongly, standing up for himself and his family.

"Oh really?" The first man in black spoke again, moving to hold something out that Sephiroth couldn't quite see.

There was a deafening bang, and Jean screamed, bursting into hysterical tears. Sephiroth pulled Zack closer to his chest, covering the boys ears and eyes and leaving his own unprotected.

"He's not here!" She screamed again, and Sephiroth saw her being pulled up by the hair roughly, her hands covered in a sticky red substance. Silver-green eyes became wide as he realized that these men were hurting his new family – to get at him.

Slowly he got up, putting Zack on the ground and gesturing for him to keep quiet and still before moving out of the closet carefully. He still had the wooden sword, and with a cry, he launched himself at the man holding Jean, ready to swing it with all his might.

Half way there, he was scooped up by the second man in black, and though he struggled, he couldn't get out of his grip. "Let them go!" He ordered, his eyes glowing darkly now.

"So. Not here, huh?" The man holding Jean threw her roughly to the ground, looking at the boy in his partners hands. "You must be Sephiroth."

Still struggling, Sephiroth ignored the man, leaning forward to bite the arm that held him. When his captor let go, he dropped to the ground, picked up his wooden sword and ran to his second family. Standing in front of the bleeding Logan, he held the sword in front of him like he'd seen on the television and cartoon books, both hands on the hilt and his legs spread apart. "Leave them alone!" He demanded, his little chest heaving with the adrenalin coursing through his small frame.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. See, they're standing in the way of the Turks, and we never stop until we have what we want."

Pausing, Sephiroth frowned, glancing back at the two adults on the floor before looking at the people in front of him. "You wont stop until I come with you?" He asked, his eyes filling with tears. These people had been so good to him. They'd looked after him all his life, taken him in when his parents had gone away... He couldn't let them get hurt because of him.

When the "Turks" nodded, Sephiroth came to a decision. "And if I come with you, you won't hurt them ever again?" They shook their heads and Sephiroth turned to the two adults on the floor. He flung his arms around Jean who held him close shaking her head and crying.

"No, Sephiroth, you go and hide. We'll take care of this." She was hysterical, wanting to protect her family. Pulling back, Sephiroth looked at the woman and smiled. "It's okay." he said, "I'll come home. I have to come home so mommy and daddy know where to find me. So I'll see you again." He looked to his side and saw that Logan, while still awake, was bleeding very badly. "Is he going to be okay?" He asked, real fear slipping into his voice.

Logan nodded, his pale sweaty face showing an expression of pride and fear. "I'll be okay son." He promised, his hands stained red from pressing down on the bleeding wound in his leg.

Sephiroth nodded then and turned back to the men by the door. Glaring darkly, he held his sword threateningly towards them before making his way back to the closet. Opening the door, he looked down at the terrified Zack, his eyes softening as he moved to the boy. Leaning down, he lifted him, holding him close and comforting them both.

"Hey ZakZak," He spoke quickly and quietly, "I'm going to go away for a little while." He told the boy, still holding him close, "But I want you to be good okay? I want you to grow up big and strong so that if I need your help, you can be next to me, and we can take away all the bad guys." The boy in his arms nodded, holding his big brother close. "So you be good for Logan and Jean, okay? Be good for me." He put the boy back down and smiled brightly at him, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. "Now stay here until Logan or Jean come for you." He didn't want the child to see his father bleeding on their kitchen floor. Even at seven years old, Sephiroth knew that that would be bad.

Coming out of the cupboard, Sephiroth turned to the men in black. "I'll come with you. But they're not allowed to be hurt any more." He said, "Or I'll run away."

"Sure you will." The second guy said, obviously not believing him. Sephiroth's grip on the wooden sword tightened.

"It's okay kid." The first guy said, "We don't need to hurt them any more. We got you."

With one final look at his family, Sephiroth followed the two men out of the house, out of town and into the nearby helicopter, wondering if he'd ever come home again.

**~~0~~0~~0~~**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please review – I would like to know what people liked, disliked what I did right/wrong etc. I'm kind of competing against Trissy to see if I can get as many reviews as her. She's got over 300 last I checked.**

So every review is loved -even if it's just to say "yay!"

**Now on to my recommendation...**

**I Really Hate You by anime fearie**

Post movie,Reno has left Shinra and is trying to live taking jobs for money wherever he can. The only job that **really**gets his interest and suits his talents is with Cloud who has been hired for a tricky mission to Midgar. Pity Cloud seems to **hate**.

**It's pretty awesome. Short and sweet. Hight rating though – lots of yummy smutt. So don't read if a) you're under age, b) you don't like Yaoi**

**I love this for the fact that Reno/Cloud is one of my OTP, but it's not often done well. This one is fantastic, the characters are pretty believable and the premise is simple. **

**Again, there will be a link on my profile.  
I give this a four out of five rating ^^**

**Remember guys, review!**


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